The Gospel of St. Luke relates the story of the risen Christ appearing to two men who were going along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  Two friends were walking together, sharing their hearts' deepest concerns.  The risen Christ joined them and explained the scriptures as they walked, how it was ordained that Christ would suffer and so enter His glory.  This experience on the road was a heart-warming experience, as the risen Christ walked and talked with them.  The illuminating climax of the experience was when Christ took bread and said the blessing, then broke it and gave it to them.  The two had their eyes opened, they recognized Him as the risen Christ, and they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others. (Luke 24:13-35)

The Biblical story of the Walk to Emmaus provides the image for the Walk to Emmaus, an Upper Room program that calls forth and renews Christian discipleship.  Like its predecessor, Cursillo de Christiandad (Spanish for "short course in Christianity"), the Walk to Emmaus is a three-day experience which takes the New Testament look at Christianity as a lifestyle.  It is a highly structured weekend designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christian people and, through them, their families, congregations, and the world in which they live.  Walk to Emmaus is a combined effort of laity and clergy toward the renewal of the church.

The Walk to Emmaus is a 72-hour experience.  The weekend begins Thursday evening and ends Sunday evening.  At a Southern California Walk to Emmaus weekend, you will spend three busy, but very enjoyable, days at Trinity United Methodist Church near downtown Pomona, CA.  You will live and study together, with singing, prayer, worship, and discussion.  The discussions center around 16 talks given during the weekend by laity and clergy.  These talks present the theme of God's grace, and how that grace comes alive in the Christian community and expresses itself in the world.  You'll also discover how grace is real in your own life, and how you can live the life of grace, bringing grace to others.  You will have the opportunity to participate in the daily celebration of Holy Communion, and to begin to understand more fully the presence of Christ in His body of believers.  You will experience God's grace personally through the prayers and acts of service of a living support community.

One of the primary strengths of the Walk to Emmaus program is follow-up.  Your weekend lasts only three days, but you are invited to build on it for the rest of your life.  Those who attend a Walk to Emmaus are encouraged to do two things following their weekend:

1. Expand their own spiritual lives through study and congregational participation.

2. Become more active disciples of Christ in the world through their churches.

To nurture this process of discipleship, the Walk to Emmaus movement offers specific opportunities.  First, and very important, accountability groups, usually of four to six people, meet weekly to reflect on their quest for spiritual growth and to encourage one another in their discipleship.  Second, there are opportunities to work during future Walk weekends in a variety of ways.  Third, through a newsletter, an e-mail prayer ministry, and by other means, community members are made aware of support needs for individuals and for upcoming Walks to Emmaus, and they have the opportunity to supply that support.

The focus of Walk to Emmaus is God, as known in Jesus Christ, and how that finds expression in the local church.  The objective of Walk to Emmaus is to inspire, challenge, and equip local church members for Christian action in their homes, churches, and places of work.  Walk to Emmaus makes possible a way for our grace-filled life to be lived and shared with others.

Originating in Spain in the late 1940's, the Roman Catholic Cursillo moved to America in the late 1950's.  It remained primarily a Roman Catholic movement here until the 1970's.  As Catholic centers started accepting applications from Protestants, efforts began among some groups to make the Cursillo experience available to all Protestants.  In the late 1970's, the Upper Room (a unit of the Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church) formed The Upper Room Cursillo Community in Nashville, Tennessee.  In 1981, by mutual agreement between the National Secretariat of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement and the Upper Room, the name of the Nashville Protestant community was changed to Walk to Emmaus.  The Walk to Emmaus movement is ecumenical.

The Walk to Emmaus program is for the development of Christian leaders who

V wish to strengthen their spiritual lives;
V may have unanswered questions about prayer, study, and sharing their faith; 
V understand that being a Christian involves responsibility; 
V are willing to dedicate their everyday lives to God in an ongoing manner; 
V have positions of responsibility in the church and the world.